The history of Wing Chun has much mystery. There are different legends about its formation, and no one knows about the absolute truth, but everyone knows a possible story. In the next few page we will tell the tale, which has been told by Grandmaster Yip Man as a possible origination.

The Wing Chun Kung-Fu system was founded by Yim Wing, a Chinese with Cantonese origin. She had excelled with her intelligence, athletic movements and honor. She has been engaged by Leung Bok Chan from Fukien who was a salt merchant. Her mother had passed on early and her father Yim Yee was falsely convicted for a break in. After his get-out the family moved to the feet of the Tai Leung Mountains near the border between Szechuan and Yunnan leaving behind everything and started a food merchant store. All of this had happened during Emperor K’anghsi reign (1662-1722).

At that time in Honan, at the Siu Lam monastery built on the Sung Mountain, the art of kung fu was practiced at a very high degree. This filled the Manchu reign with uneasiness, which sent an army to destroy the monastery, but they did not succeed. After this Chan Man Wai who in that year had taken the clerk examination with the best results, tried to get into the favor of the emperor so he presented a plan. He allied with a Sim Lam monk, Ma Ning Yee and others who lit a fire inside the monastery while the solders led an attack against it. Siu Lam burned down and the surviving monks scattered. A Buddhist nun Ng Mui, and some of her fellow monks, Chi Shin, Pak Mei, Fung To Tak master and Miu Hin master lived trough the battle and escaped at different routes. Ng Mui found sanctuary in the White Crane Temple at the Tai Leung Mountain (a.k.a. Chai Har Mountain). She met and gotten known Yim Yee and his daughter Yim Wing Chun, when she bought tofu in their shop. They become friends in no time.

The young beauty of Wing Chun had gotten the interests of a local rogue, who tried to make her to marry him. Wing Chun and her father were intimidated. When Ng Mui was informed what happened, she pitied Wing Chun and wanted to help her. She decided to teach Wing Chun her martial art. To solve the problem with the rogue and to Wing Chun could marry her loved one Leung Bok Chau, they set forth to Wing Chun follows Ng Mui the mountains where she started teach kung-fu to her. They practiced night and day and later Wing Chun challenged the rogue and defeated him. Ng Mui traveled more but before leaving, she warned Wing Chun to follow the traditions of the kung-fu closely, hone her knowledge and skills to help people and work on downfall of the Manchu so the Ming dynasty can come into power again. That’s the story of how Ng Mui handed down her knowledge to Wing Chun.

After their marriage she taught her kung-fu to her husband, who taught it to Leung Lan Kwai, who handed it down Wong Wah Bo. Wang Wah Bo was a member of a traveling opera company, which traveled on the board of a junk, which was called “Scarlet Junk”. On board worked Chi Shin as a chef, who was an escapee monk from Sim Lam and Leung Yee Tei. Chi Shin taught to Leung Yee Tei how to use the long stick. Wong Wah Bo and Leung Yee Tai become close friends and they shared their knowledge about kung-fu. They improved their knowledge, trained together and perfected their techniques. That is how the long stick form was included in the Wing Chun.

Leung Yee Tei had passed on his kung-fu knowledge to Leung Jan who was a well known herbalist. Leung Jan recognized the innermost secrets of the Wing Chun and reached the rank of the highest master. He was challenged by many kung-fu masters but he defeated them all. He taught Chan Wah Shun, who accepted me as a student decades ago. And I learned together with my kung fu siblings, Ng Siu Lo, Ng Chung So, Chan Yu Min and Lui Yu Jai. That’s how we got our kung-fu and we will always will be grateful to our kung-fu ancestors and masters.